UND proves it pays to study: More scholarships available for incoming freshmen students
by Kallie Van De Venter, UND University & Public Affairs student writerPosted on 12/18/2013

For incoming students and their families, the price of college can be daunting.

Thanks to alumni and donors, the University of North Dakota awards nearly $7.7 million in academic scholarships each year.

"Because of their generosity we can continue awarding students," said Janelle Kilgore, UND director of the Student Financial Aid Office.

UND now offers a new scholarship award of $6,000 ($1,500/year) for freshmen starting Fall 2014. Incoming freshmen with ACT scores of 25 and higher or SAT math and reading combined score of 1130 and higher along with a 3.50 and higher cumulative high school GPAs can be awarded the new $6,000 scholarship.

For the incoming Fall 2014 class, UND's goal is to award more than 525 academic scholarships ranging from $6,000 to $20,000 depending on a student's high school GPA and official ACT or SAT test scores. About twenty-five percent, or 1 in 4 of UND's 2014 freshmen class will receive an academic scholarship.

All incoming freshmen admitted by March 1 for Fall 2014 will automatically be considered for one of the academic scholarships.

"As I plan to go on to graduate school, the scholarships I receive now during my undergraduate years will be extremely beneficial later by enabling me to enter post-graduate studies debt free," said freshman anthropology student Alexandra Ptacek, recipient of a UND Presidential Scholarship.

"Scholarships are the most desired for financial assistance," Kilgore said. "Most scholarships are based on academic achievements and they reward the students for their hard work and studies."

UND also offers many scholarships for transfer students, undergrads and graduate students and the first step is applying.

"Every scholarship is a great help and means that much less stress at college," Ptacek said. She urges students to "take the time to apply for scholarships."

UND has more than 675 different scholarships opportunities and many of those scholarships are awarded to more than one student.

There are even more scholarships available to students who are admitted into their programs and are available through individual academic departments.

"I encourage students to take a look at scholarships; sometimes it may take a little bit of time to find a scholarship that meets the requirements that they have," Kilgore said. "Take the time out of your day to look for scholarships."

The Student Financial Aid Office also is in the process of implementing a consolidated, online scholarship system where all students can research and apply for scholarship opportunities from different departments across campus.

For more information about UND scholarship opportunities, visit UND.edu/scholarships.